quiet weekend

Strange title for the weekend of July 4th, but Saturday and Sunday were quiet for me (except for occasional neighborhood fireworks). After all the walking on Friday, I didn't want to do anything much on Saturday. I did a bit of yard work in the morning and in the afternoon, I finally decided to work on two little art quilts that have been sitting in pieces in my sewing room for weeks. The deadline is coming up this month and it was either finish or discard them! I have not been happy with the work I have done so far, but after much agonizing, I decided to start stitching the pieces onto the background (they were already glued down) and hope for the best. Amazingly, when I finished putting satin stitching around the trees, they looked ever so much better! I think this idea will actually turn out ok. I can't believe how much difference having that stitching on them makes! I want to finish them, except for some additions to be done by hand, and take them with me to Kate's to get her advice on the final product. I expect her to be honest about whether they are good enough for the little quilt swap. Since it's my first attempt at this kind of thing, I won't be upset if she says they aren't good enough. I know that I should have tried something easy for my first attempt at quilting, but the easy things don't interest me. And having a deadline for completion forces me to actually work on them. Anyway, I will post a photo of the finished product, mistakes and all - eventually.

Since it was a holiday weekend, I decided to cook a special dinner for myself. I grilled a steak outside and baked a potato (in the microwave and toaster oven) and had toasted marshmallows for dessert! I even managed to get the steak off the grill while it was still rare. I did not, however, go down to see the fireworks. I just read for a while and went to bed early.

Yesterday, was a day on the telephone. I always call Kate on Sundays, but sometimes I also call my son, Steve. Since he lives in Scottsdale, AZ, I have to call him in the afternoon, allowing time for him to sleep late on the weekend. It's a good thing I didn't call early, as he and Christine had hosted a party on the 4th and were recovering from it yesterday. I gave Steve a scolding for not sending me anything on Mothers' Day. Christine said that she had reminded him (I was sure she had) and he admitted that he had no excuse. Of course, I forgave him (one always forgives one's children, I think) and we had a nice chat. He's been busy building things to enhance the yard - a deck and a gazebo. He's really good at home renovation. Must have inherited those genes from his father. Goodness knows, I am not competent with saws and such like, although I can drill and hammer with the best of them!! LOL

I had no sooner gotten off the phone with Steve than Andy (my exhusband) called. He calls every few months, just to keep in touch. Obviously, we are still friends. In fact we get along much better than we did when we were married. He is retired, but works at Busch Gardens in the summer. He wants me to come down and help him pick out paint for his living room. Maybe in the fall when it's cooler. This past week it was in the 90s where he lives in Virginia. We only had 80s here - lucky us!

By the time that call ended, it was time to call Kate (in England). I time my calls to her for late, after the kids are in bed. She is a night owl and the hours from 10 to midnight are about the only time I can have an uninterrupted conversation with her. Only Sarah, also a night owl, was still up yesterday evening when I called. Kate and I had our usual long chat, much of it spent on what we will be doing when I go to visit her.

I felt as if I had a phone growing on my left ear after all those calls. I really need to get a speaker phone where I can turn the volume way up or one of those phone headsets. I am having a lot of trouble hearing on the phone these days. I have been losing my hearing for 30 years and it's getting to the point where I am seriously considering hearing aids. I did try one some years back, but it was not a success. Soon, I will have to try again, but I just hate spending a considerable amount of money for something that may not solve the problem. Oh well, that decision can wait for a while. I've discovered that some decisions, if just postponed long enough, will solve themselves. The hearing problem is NOT one of those, unfortunately, but it also isn't urgent. It's a problem to be solved 'one of these days' - like getting a new computer and a faster internet connection. I didn't used to procrastinate this way. Maybe it's a result of being retired or just getting - shhhh - old!